Poinsettia plant named ‘Red Fox 811’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Red Fox 811’, characterized by its inflorescences with inflorescences with large red-colored flower bracts; dark green-colored leaves with red purple-colored petioles; uniform and rounded plant habit; early flowering; and excellent post-production longevity.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DENOMINATION

Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Red Fox 811.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPoinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Red Fox 811’.

The new Poinsettia is a product of a planned breeding program conductedby the inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new Poinsettia cultivars with uniform plant habitand attractive flower bract coloration.

The new Poinsettia originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventor in 1996 of a proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrimaWilld. identified as code number F- 19-015, not patented, as the female,or seed, parent, with a proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrimaWilld. identified as code number F-03-015, not patented, as the male, orpollen, parent. The cultivar Red Fox 811 was discovered and selected bythe Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated crossin a controlled environment in Rheinberg, Germany in 1997. The selectionof this plant was based on its attractive flower bract coloration anduniform plant habit.

Asexual reproduction of the Poinsettia by vegetative terminal cuttingstaken at Rheinberg, Germany since 1999, has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to typein successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Red Fox 811’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Red Fox 811’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Inflorescences with large red-colored flower bracts.

2. Dark green-colored leaves with red purple-colored petioles.

3. Uniform and rounded plant habit.

4. Early flowering; response time, about eight weeks.

5. Excellent post-production longevity.

Compared to plants of the female parent, the selection F- 19-015, plantsof the new Poinsettia have larger flower bracts. Compared to plants ofthe male parent, the selection F-03-015, plants of the new Poinsettiaare larger.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the cultivarSpotlight Dark Red, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conductedin Rheinberg, Germany, plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarilyfrom plants ofthe cultivar Spotlight Dark Red in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia were more compact than plants of thecultivar Spotlight Dark Red.

2. Plants of the new Poinsettia had narrower leaves with shorterpetioles than plants of the cultivar Spotlight Dark Red.

3. Plants of the new Poinsettia had larger flower bracts than plants ofthe cultivar Spotlight Dark Red.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newPoinsettia. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a singleflowering plant of ‘Red Fox 811’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The aforementioned photographs, following observations and averagedmeasurements describe plants grown in Rheinberg, Germany during thewinter under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with dayand night temperatures about 22° C. and light levels about 4,500 lux.Single plants were grown in 13-cm pots and pinched once. Plants wereflowered under natural season short day/long night conditions. Plantswere about 16 weeks from unrooted cuttings when the photographs and thedetailed botanical description were taken.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Red Fox811.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.identified as code number F-19-015, not patented.

Male parent.—Proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.identified as code number F-03-015, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Vegetative terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 9 days at 22° C. Winter: About 13days at 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—Summer: About 21 days at 22° C. Winter: About 28days at 22° C.

Root description.—Thick, fibrous and white in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Plant form.—Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded.

Growth habit.—Upright and uniform plant habit.

Plant height.—About 21 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 35 cm.

Lateral branch description.—Quantity per plant: About five or sixlateral branches develop after pinching. Length: About 19.5 cm.Diameter: About 5 mm. Internode length: About 1 cm. Color: 137A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single. Quantity of leavesper lateral branch: About 15. Length: About 11.4 cm. Width: About 6.9cm. Shape: Mostly ovate with irregular lobing. Apex: Apiculate. Base:Obtuse. Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Venation pattern: Pinnate.Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Surface: Mostlyflat. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: 141A. Young foliage, lowersurface: 138A. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 139A. Fullyexpanded foliage, lower surface: 138A. Venation, upper surface: 146C.Venation, lower surface: 1 44B. Petiole: Length: About 5.2 cm. Diameter:About 2.5 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth.Color, upper and lower surfaces: 59A.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound corymbs ofcyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia.Inflorescences are not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Natural flowering season.—Autumn/winter in Northern Hemisphere. Flowerinitiation and development is induced under long nyctoperiod conditions.Response time, about eight weeks.

Post-production longevity.—Plants of the new Poinsettia maintain goodsubstance and bract color for about eight weeks under interiorconditions and about twelve weeks under greenhouse conditions.

Quantity of inflorescences per plant.—One per lateral branch, about fiveor six.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 26 cm. Height (depth): About 2.5 cm.

Flower bracts.—Quantity of flower bracts per inflorescence: About 16.Length, largest bracts: About 12.3 cm. Width, largest bracts: About 7.1cm. Shape: Mostly ovate with irregular lobing. Apex: Apiculate. Base:Obtuse. Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Texture, upper and lowersurfaces: Glabrous, velvety. Surface: Rugose. Orientation: Mostlyhorizontal to slightly upright. Color: Developing bracts, upper andlower surfaces: 46A. Fully developed bracts, upper surface: 46B; colorfading to 46C with subsequent development. Fully developed bracts, lowersurface: 46C. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Same as lamina. Bractpetiole: Length: About 3.3 cm. Diameter: About 1.7 mm. Texture, upperand lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Color, upper and lower surfaces:141 B.

Cyathia.—Quantity of cyathia per corymb: About 11. Diameter of cyathiacluster: About 3 cm. Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Shape:Ovoid. Color, immature: 144B. Color, mature: 144A. Peduncle: Length:About 4 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength/aspect: Strong, curved.Color: 144B. Stamens: Quantity of stamens per cyathium: About 20. Anthershape: Oval. Anther length: About 0.7 mm. Anther color: 31A. Amount ofpollen: Moderate. Pollen color: 14B. Pistils: Quantity of pistils percyathium: One. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Style length: About 5 mm.Style color: 53B. Stigma color: 53A. Ovary color: 144B. Nectaries:Quantity of nectaries per cyathium: One. Length: About 4.5 mm. Color:14A.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toPoinsettias has not been observed on plants grown under commercialconditions.

Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Poinsettia have been observedto tolerate temperatures from 12 to 40° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named‘Red Fox 811’, as illustrated and described.